VAAZHL (2021)
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| Critic No. 224 |
Director: Arun Prabu Purushothaman
Written by: Arun Prabu Purushothaman
Produced by: Sivakarthikeyan Productions, Madhuram Pictures
Casts: Pradeep Anthony, TJ Bhanu, Diva Dhawan, Aahrav, SN Bhatt
Language: Tamil
Genre: Drama
Music: Pradeep Kumar
SYNOPSIS:
A middle-class youngster, Prakash (Pradeep Anthony), who leads a mundane life, experiences a roller-coaster ride after meeting two women of contrasting personalities.
REVIEW:
Director Arun Prabhu Purushothaman proved his mettle in his very film, Aruvi, one of the best Tamil films we saw in the decade. While Aruvi had revolutionary social commentary on several controversial topics, Arun has taken a lighter route this time by making a philosophical film that almost feels like a pleasant dream. Like how the character Tanya utters in the film, “People Whom you meet have the power to change your life” and “Tomorrow is Tomorrow”, the film strives to inject in the audience the importance of living life to the fullest, embracing each and every moment.
Vaazhl opens with the scene of Prakash gasping for breath. He has fallen into a deep hole in the mountains. His leg is caught between two rocks, and he’s unable to move. No amount of screaming helps because no one can hear him. This metaphorical situation sums up his life. Prakash is a normal middle-class guy, who works in a stressful IT job. Everything around him annoys him too much, his pestering boss, possessive lover, strict parents, and a sister who also contributes her share with a love angle. Prakash's life turns upside down when he meets his cousin (TJ Bhanu) and her little son Yathra. Together, they set off on a journey that changes their perspectives of life entirely.
The first half of the film is treated as a black comedy with even serious situations treated with a tint of light-heartedness. The situations between Prakash, Yatra, and his son are hilarious and until the midpoint, we do not even feel the length of the film. However, after that, the film enters another zone with a totally different treatment. Prakash meets Diva, a free-spirited Gypsy who brings him into a soul-searching journey. With arresting visuals by Shelley Calist, tons of beautiful locations are introduced to us, tempting us to also enjoy our lives, taking a break from the city’s hustle. Each frame is like an expensive painting and it’s so so perfect. I liked how the characters start to change with nature and even the hyper-energetic Yathra who is a total ruckus in the city calms down into a gentle little boy. Not forgetting Pradeep’s soulful music that brings us into a mesmerizing zone in the second half of the film. Arun also flexes his muscle in film language by scattering metaphors throughout his narrative. The way he weaves in the short story from the old man about the injured bird into the climax is brilliant.
Pradeep does a superb job in portraying the transitions the character goes through in the roller coaster of events. TJ Bhanu is a great find for Tamil cinema as she oozes natural beauty and performance. Diva does neatly in her small but important role.
On the downside, though the characters and their vulnerability are neatly etched, the constant genre switch acts to prevent us from fully investing in their characters. Prakash appears more as a passive protagonist in most scenes until the pre-climax. And are the characters believable? - a question that runs in your mind throughout as well. Like I said earlier, the film feels like a dream - surreal but also disjointed with the absence of logic at times and the conflicts never pick up. The second half, even though scores distinction for the technical effort, stays stagnant in terms of storytelling. If only the tonal shifts are not that abrupt and Arun have focused more on character building, the philosophical stance would have been much more impactful.
Nevertheless, Vaazhl, is a different film that again emphasizes that director Arun is not here to make easy films and is going to constantly challenge our senses with his experiments.
VERDICT:
With spectacular visuals and music, ‘Vaazhl’ feels more like a surreal experiment that is more focused on expressing its philosophical stance more than telling a coherent story with developed characters.
CELLULOID METER- 3/5:
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